Dollar General proposes location in Eastham

The General is leading his troops into Eastham. Dollar General that is.

The discount retailer is looking to plant a store on Route 6 opposite Landmark Fence on 2.79-acres of vacant land on the southbound side just north of Brackett Road.

The nearest store is in Wareham so this would be either its first or second on Cape Cod proper, as there is also a plan to build a Dollar General in Yarmouth on Route 28. Nationally the company, based in Goodlettesville, Tenn., has over 12,500 stores including 22 in Massachusetts.

Its first store was opened in Kentucky in 1939 as J.L. Turner & Son. The original Dollar General was opened in Springfield, Ky., in 1955, with no item costing more than $1. That’s not the case today although Dollar General is a deep discounter that would compete with Ocean State Job Lot and the Christmas Tree Shop.

There is a Dollar Tree store in Dennis on Route 28, and a Family Dollar Store in Wareham, but both of those are different chains.

The application to build the store is from Eastham DG LLC to develop a lot at 4615 State Highway (Route 6) and construct a 9,100 square foot building. It was received on May 2.

It will require a special permit from the Eastham Zoning Board of Appeals and DG LLC will be before the board on June 1. The special permit is needed because the applicant wants to reduce the minimum number of required parking spaces. The plan will also need approval from the planning board.

Paul Lagg, Eastham town planner, has suggested the town look at the permit comprehensively, as the proposed store would be near the new 65-unit Purcell Property housing development. Even though it doesn’t qualify as a Development of Regional Impact (DRI), which would trigger a review by the Cape Cod Commission, Lagg has requested the commission’s technical assistance for issues such as traffic, site design and community character.

There could be homegrown obstacles ahead; newly elected selectman Aimee Eckman called the prospect of the store "alarming."

As proposed the store would have about 17 parking spaces out front and 11 on the side of the building. It’ll have a peaked roof in the center, about 28 feet high, clapboard siding (made out of Hardie Boards), asphalt shingles and up to six dormer style windows on the roof.